Ex-MP killing: SC poser to SIT on Modi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to consider whether further probe was required against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 52 others in the ex-MP killing.

A complaint was filed by Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was burnt alive in post Godhra riots.

A bench of Justices D K Jain, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam asked the SIT, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, to examine the observations submitted by senior counsel and amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran on the team's report and take appropriate decision on conducting further investigations.

"The SIT inferences and evidence do not match its findings," the bench said while asking the SIT to submit its report by April 25 on whether further investigations were required into the complaint.

The Apex Court posted the matter for further hearing to April 27 when it also agreed to list the interim application moved by Gujarat government seeking a recall of the court’s earlier order of April 27, 2007, directing the SIT to look into the complaint against Modi and 52 others.

In May 2010, the SIT had submitted a report to the Supreme Court on its probe into a complaint of Jakia Jafri who had alleged Modi, top politicians, bureaucrats and police officers had engineered the post-Godhra riots in which her husband was also burnt alive by mobs in Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad.

Jakia in her complaint alleged that instead of protecting the victims, the Chief Minister, cabinet ministers besides officials chose to shield or instigate the mobs in the killings.

The SIT had earlier questioned Modi, VHP leader Praveen Togadia and various police officers and examined the records relating to the conduct of various accused and suspects in the list of 53 persons figuring in Jakia's complaint.

The former Congress MP was killed by a mob that set on fire the Gulbarga housing society in Ahmedabad in 2002. Nearly 70 people were burnt alive in the carnage.